As I just published a list of most interesting animated book covers, I used this chance to check out which major social networks support animated gif format.
If you assume, most of them do, you’re wrong.
Tumblr: Yes
Tumblr does it right, and does it for a long time. It’s a sanctuary of moving images, and if you want to get inspired, look no further than here.
There is no problem with posting animated gifs, you can put up to 10 in one post, just like any other image format.
Google+: Yes
Here comes a surprise: Google+ is animated gif friendly. No problem with posting there, not only directly on Google+, but also via autoposting tools. I did it using Buffer. Worked like a charm.
Pinterest: Yes, and no
A couple of months ago Pinterest introduced support for animated gifs, but they are handled the same way as videos.
You won’t see the animation when you’re browsing the user profile, the board or search results. The only sign you deal with animation is a small icon in the left bottom corner of the image.
To see the animation you have to open the particular pin. One click away from making a first impression.
Facebook: No
Facebook doesn’t help with anything that exceeds recommended image size. So, animations don’t appear, either in timeline or when you open a particular photo. Instead, you’ll see a still image.
Facebook converts gif to jpg, and this is the format used to display all images. I’ve tested the source file and discovered, that for the jpg file:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1.0-9/10013348_730559393630898_1437691886_n.jpg
…there is a gif file as well:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1.0-9/10013348_730559393630898_1437691886_n.gif
Hopefully, Facebook will change the way they handle images to display gifs, including animated ones.
Twitter: Yes
Updated on 19.06.2014
Twitter now supports animated gifs on the web, and in iOS and Android apps.
Writer Updated 